Saturday, September 21, 2013

Op-ed: The voice of ‘We the People’ was heard in the HouseBy: Diane Sori

A temporary victory for the American people…but a victory nevertheless…as yesterday House Republicans approved…in a 230-189 bipartisan vote…a short-term government spending plan that included the elimination of all funding for the unmitigated monstrosity known as ObamaCare… Obama’s signature legislation of his first term. And they did so at the same time their plan kept the government up and running through mid-December, including approving across-the-board spending cuts of $986.3 billion, and including a provision for when the debt ceiling vote comes up that directs the Treasury on how to prioritize payments if the debt ceiling is breached.

And now the real fight begins as we’ll see if the Senate listens to the will of ‘We the People’…or if ‘Prince Harry’ even allows this to the Senate floor.

While the bill as passed is in actuality a stop-gap measure at best, this bipartisan ‘Continuing Resolution’ did something that was NOT done when ObamaCare was passed…it had a number of Democrats who finally stop drinking the Obama kool–ade long enough to see that ObamaCare is a disaster and is NOT wanted by the majority of the American people…NOT wanted at all.

“The American people don’t want the government shut down, and they don’t want ObamaCare,” Majority Leader John Boehner said to applause and cheers… something he has NOT heard in a long time. “The House has listened to the American people. Now it’s time for the United States Senate to listen to them as well.”

And to counter Boehner’s words, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi…the ‘Wicked Botoxed Witch of La-lafornia’ (meow)…said the House bill was “without a doubt, a measure designed to shut down the government.” Adding, “It is a wolf in wolf’s clothing…either you don’t know what you are doing, or this is one of the most intentional acts of brutality that you have cooked up,” Pelosi croaked about Boehner and the House plan.

But NO matter what Pelosi croaks, bipartisan support…NO matter how small in numbers…for defunding ObamaCare is amazing for the fact is that in 2010 when ObamaCare was sneakily passed in a hastily arranged middle of the night vote, it was done so in a strict undeviating party line vote. And now even Obama has to admit…but we know he won’t…that ObamaCare is indeed fundamentally flawed for the requirement that businesses provide basic health insurance for their employees has been delayed for a year…and that would NEVER have happened if all was running smoothly.

And while the Senate is in recess and not expected to vote on this ‘Continuing Resolution’ until next week, we all know that the resolution as approved by the House has NO chance of passing the Democratic controlled Senate for now Harry Reid…being as expected ‘Prince Harry’…says that when the bill reaches the Senate floor he will use a procedural tactic that allows for a simple majority vote that would strip out the ObamaCare defunding language once the debate on the House bill is finished, and then send it back to the House in a form that just extends current spending…something he knows the House will NOT pass.

And so the battle will begin…yet again…for the House bill will be vetoed by Obama if it’s sent to him in the form they passed…and will fail in the House in the Senate form.

Thankfully, Senator Ted Cruz and other leading Republican Senators like Marco Rubio and Mike Lee say they’re willing to do ‘everything necessary and anything possible’…including filibustering…to block voting on the spending measure alone as a way to end funding for ObamaCare.

And if Obama and Congress can’t agree on stop-gap funding, most, though not all, government operations would come to a halt in less than two weeks. But a shutdown of the government is really NOT something to fear or even really be concerned about…incendiary rhetoric by the Democrats aside…for all it means is that while essential government programs like air traffic control, Social Security, Medicare, and mail delivery would continue as is, national parks and museums would be closed, and federal agency operations would slow down or stop. The White House and Congress would continue to operate as well…and that is something I surely wish would shut down…and I mean that in all seriousness…for this Congress is made up for the most part of gutless cowards who are afraid to do the ‘people’s business’ for fear of the race card being used against them if they dare step out of line and step on Obama’s toes.

And don’t even get me started on what a great service in would be for the country if this White House could be shutdown…for we know that will NEVER happen for ‘President Narcissist’ would NEVER allow his bully pulpit to be silenced.

So while Republicans are NOT outwardly seeking a government shutdown… although with the Obama government that would be a good thing…just the threat of it possibly happening can be used as leverage against the liberal Democrats NOT only to defund ObamaCare…or at least to delay its the implementation for one year (while other avenues of defunding it are given time to be explored) in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, but raising it to numbers that the Republicans would set and control.

So bring it on ‘Prince Harry’ as ‘We the People’ having spoken via the House…let’s see you stop the will of the people in the Senate and come 2014 watch your party fall…and all the King’s horses and all the King’s men won’t be able to put ObamaCare back together again.